Elastic joints are known which facilitate radial, axial and/or angular shifts between two such members, allowing them to be operated even with their axes mutually offset or disaligned. Such joints also permit some torsional compensation, i.e. a relative rotation of the two members to cushion the shocks of rapid acceleration or deceleration during starting and stopping, for example.
Joints of this type may comprise elastic connecting elements of leather, rubber, plastic, spring steel or the like. If the elastic material has a low damping coefficient, the system may break into oscillations whenever there is a substantial change in the transmitted torque. If the damping factor is high, the oscillatory energy will be largely converted into heat which is absorbed by the connecting elements themselves and is detrimental to their structural stability.